First-drive review: Leapmotor B10 electric SUV

The Chinese brand Leapmotor is part of Stellantis and is continuing to expand its European presence.

After launching the T03 city car and C10 medium SUV, Leapmotor has now launched the B10 small SUV. All three models are electric, although the brand is introducing range-extender versions of the B10 and C10 in 2026.

Unlike in other European markets, the B10 is only available in one trim level in the UK (the brand’s third-largest European market). It comes with lots of equipment as standard, including a heat pump, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, electric tailgate, panoramic sunroof and rear privacy glass.

Rivals include the BYD Atto 2, MG S5 EV and Skoda Elroq.

So how does it compare? I’ve performed an initial test drive to find out.

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Leapmotor B10: key specs

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Interior: features and quality 

Like many Chinese cars, the B10’s interior feels well-made, but the brand’s C10 model is much more upmarket. Soft-touch materials are used on the door trims and armrests, but the entire dashboard and centre console is made of hard plastic. And while the roof lining and sun visors do use some soft materials, they still feel cheaper than in rivals. The mirror covers for the sun visors in particular are flimsy and feel very basic.

The B10 has a 14.6-inch central touchscreen. Like many Chinese cars, it controls nearly all functions and can be very distracting. It has lots of useful shortcuts at the bottom of the screen. The only physical buttons in the cabin are for the hazard lights and the SOS function – even the wing mirrors have to be adjusted via the screen.

I felt the 8.8-inch instrument display was too small and hard to read. It’s also awkward to configure, as you have to use touchpads on the steering wheel (it doesn’t have any buttons; just scrollers for the volume and cruise control).

Rear visibility isn’t great due to rear headrests that don’t retract fully and thick rear roof pillars. The rear windscreen is small and doesn’t have a wiper. Thanks to the high riding position, I found forward visibility much better. Cabin access is also good as the doors are large and the sills aren’t too wide. Note that the exterior door handles pop out; people with limited dexterity may find them hard to use.

The cabin is very spacious. I’m 6ft 2in tall and found that both leg and headroom for front and rear-seat passengers were generous. The rear headrests can be raised and left in position, allowing tall people to sit here comfortably. The large panoramic roof lets plenty of light into the interior, although cabin width is merely average for a small SUV.

While the front seats can’t be adjusted much (they lack adjustable lumbar support, an adjustable base and a massage function) they still provide adequate comfort for longer journeys, while the adjustable headrests are easy to position. As with many modern cars, the front passenger seat doesn’t have height adjustment.

The B10 has a spacious boot that features an adjustable floor. I noticed the electric tailgate doesn’t open very far, so tall people should mind their heads when loading the boot. The rear seats are easy to fold (take care not to trap the seatbelts when doing this) and there isn’t a step between the boot floor and rear seats when you do this, although they don’t fold completely flat.

Driving performance

The B10 has 218hp, which is a lot for a small SUV. This means acceleration is brisk regardless which of the three driving modes you choose and the power only tails off slightly at higher speeds. The car’s electric motor and gearbox are also very smooth and the motor is quiet. However, at slow speeds the noise emitted to alert pedestrians is louder than on other electric cars and clearly audible in the cabin.

Road noise is generally limited, but wind noise is prominent at high speeds and some electric cars are quieter than the B10 in this respect.

Leapmotor states that the B10 has been tuned for Europe, and while the car’s suspension is generally comfortable, body movement was prominent during my test drive when going over bumps in the road. The steering also felt vague on country roads, especially with the Comfort steering mode. I found the Standard and Sport modes more responsive. There's also a lot of body roll when cornering.

The B10’s brakes work well and they are easy to apply. You can choose between three regenerative braking settings through the touchscreen. Leapmotor says a one-pedal function will be introduced early in 2026, so you should then be able to stop the car without using the brake pedal.

Most of the B10’s driver-assist tech worked well during my drive. The intelligent speed assist (ISA) technology was accurate, the blind-spot detection system impressed and the adaptive cruise control was easy to get used to. The driver attention warning system can be quite intrusive, but the warnings aren’t as noisy as in some rivals.

However, the lane-keep assist system interfered a lot when I drove on country roads and would often pull the car towards the centre of the lane, sometimes unnecessarily.

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Reliability and warranty

Being a relatively new brand in the UK, Leapmotor isn't a brand we have reliability data on. Unlike other Chinese brands, Leapmotor only offers a four-year warranty (most, like MG and Omoda, offer seven years).

Leapmotor says that as most of its buyers (at least 70% of whom are private customers) are leasing its cars for three or four years, the warranty plan works well for them. If it offered a longer warranty, Leapmotor said it would have to make their cars more expensive.

Leapmotor B10: Final thoughts

We’ll reserve final judgement on the B10 until we lab-test it, but it’s certainly appealing if you’re looking for a spacious electric SUV that has lots of equipment. However, I found its touchscreen-dependent interior, uncommunicative steering and poor rear visibility significant drawbacks.

Leapmotor will introduce a range-extender (an EV that also has a petrol engine to charge the battery and power the car) version of the B10 in 2026. My experience when driving the range-extender version of the brand’s C10 model suggests it should also be smooth and offer quick acceleration.

As the electric and range-extender versions of the C10 are the same price, I’d expect the same from the B10 and it could be an appealing option if you don’t want a full EV.

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